cos 116: the computational universe - princeton … · cos 116: the computational universe...
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COS 116: The Computational Universe! Instructor: Sanjeev Arora (arora@cs)! Head TA: J. Alex Halderman (jhalderm@cs)! Preceptors:
" Umar Syed (usyed@cs)" David Xiao (dxiao@cs)
! Labs will be held in (Friend 005)" Mon 7-10, Tues 7-10, Wed 1:30-4:20
! This week: Take-home lab
Ancient dream of man: �Breathe life into matter�
Robot(Karel Capek, 1921)
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley,1818)
�Automata�, (South Germany or Spain, c. 1560)
Also,chessautomata
Golem (Jewish mythology)
�Breathe life into matter� �A 20th century perspective
! �Matter�: Atoms, molecules, quantum mechanics, relativity �
! �Life�: Cells, nucleus, DNA, RNA, �
! �Breath life into matter�: Computation
One interpretation: Make matter do useful, interesting things on its own
Some important distinctionsComputer Science vs. Computer
Programming(Java, C++, etc.)
Notion of computation vs. Concrete Implementations of Computation (Silicon chips, robots, Xbox, etc.)
No programming in this course!
! Not necessary for conceptual understanding
! Gives us more time for a broader coverage of computer science (broader than COS126!)
! No advantage to those who have prior programming experience
Brief history of computers / computation
! Technological:" Clocks
" Clockwork �Automata�
" Mechanized looms, steam engines
" Vacuum tubes, electronic calculators (1910-1930�s)
" ENIAC (1945)
" von Neumann Computer(1949, Princeton)
Brief history of computers / computation (cont�d)! Intellectual
" Ancient Greeks, philosophers (�How to formalize thought?�)
" Boolean logic (G. Boole, 1815-1864)" Crisis in math
! Hilbert: Call to axiomatize math! Gödel: Incompleteness theorem
" Lambda calculus (A. Church, 1936)" Turing machines (A. Turing, 1937)
Both at Princeton;
First clear notion of �What is computation?�
Example 2: Public closed-ballot elections
! Hold an election in this room" Everyone can speak publicly
(i.e. no computers, email, etc.)" At the end everyone must
agree on who won and by what margin
" No one should know which way anyone else voted
! Is this possible?" Yes! (A. Yao, Princeton)
COS 116 : Course structure
! First 10 lectures:"Cool things computers do and how
! Next 8 lectures:"What�s inside computers, Internet, silicon
chips! Last 6 lectures:
"Complexity, cryptography, viruses, search engines, artificial intelligence
This week�s lab: Blogs & HTML(Take-home Lab; pick up �manual� today)
TextThis week:skim Chapter 1, read pp 12-21, pp 32-51.
Bureaucratic details
! 3 hour lab sessions:" M 7-10, Tu 7-10, W 1:30-4:30" Not assigned a session yet? Come see us today after
class!! 1 hour �optional� precept:
" No new material, will explain lecture, help with HW/labs
" Time will be decided today! This week�s lab is take-home: Start your blog
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